Stroke: Clinical Trials

The NICHD conducts and supports a variety of clinical research related to stroke. Select a link below to learn more about these projects.

Featured NICHD Clinical Trials

Contralaterally Controlled FES of Arm and Hand for Subacute Stroke Rehabilitation
This study seeks to enhance the effect of contralaterally controlled functional electrical stimulation (CCFES) by applying CCFES to elbow extension as well as hand movement. In CCFES, patients receive electrical stimulation to their weak hand as they move it; the patient controls the amount of stimulation with the other hand.

Enhancing Rehabilitation After Stroke (Enhance)
This is a 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled study to determine if donepezil (Aricept®) treatment during rehabilitation after stroke improves functional recovery. The researchers also will examine the drug’s effect on cognitive domains (attention/working memory, information processing speed, and episodic memory) that are relevant to functional outcomes.

Electrical Stimulation for Recovery of Hand Function in Chronic Stroke Survivors
The purpose of this study is to estimate the efficacy of Contralaterally Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation (CCFES) in reducing upper extremity impairment and activity limitation in chronic upper extremity hemiplegia. CCFES is a rehabilitation intervention in which neuromuscular electrical stimulation is applied to the finger and thumb muscles of the paretic upper limb to open the hand. The stroke survivor controls the stimulation intensity, and consequent degree of hand opening, by modulating the degree of opening of the unimpaired hand, which is detected by an instrumented glove. Thus, opening of the unaffected hand produces stimulated opening of the affected hand. The stimulation process is used to assist the stroke survivor in practicing functional tasks with the affected hand.

Electrical Stimulation for Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain
Post-stroke shoulder pain is a major rehabilitation problem that affects moderately to severely impaired stroke survivors. Surface electrical stimulation (ES) of muscles surrounding the hemiparetic shoulder has been demonstrated to be beneficial, but despite the evidence for therapeutic benefit, the clinical implementation of surface ES for post-stroke shoulder pain has been difficult. To address the limitations of surface ES, the investigative team pioneered the development of percutaneous intramuscular (IM) ES for the treatment of post-stroke shoulder pain. The primary objective is to estimate the relative pain reduction associated with IM ES versus "usual care."

Arm Rehabilitation Study After Stroke (ICARE)
This study is about arm and hand recovery after a stroke. The investigators are testing an experimental arm therapy called Accelerated Skill Acquisition Program (ASAP), which combines challenging, intensive, and meaningful practice of tasks of the participant’s choice compared to two standard types of therapy (usual and customary arm therapy totaling 30 hours and usual and customary arm therapy for a duration indicated on the therapy prescription). A second objective is to characterize current outpatient arm therapy (dosage and content) following stroke for individuals who are eligible for ICARE.

Brain Stimulation-aided Stroke Rehabilitation: Neural Mechanisms of Recovery
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether benefits of training the affected hand in patients with stroke can be improved by combining training with a painless, noninvasive technique called Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS). TDCS will be applied over the part of the brain responsible for movements of the affected hand. The investigators also will study the changes in the brain that favor recovery of hand function following combination of training and TDCS.

Post-Stroke Aphasia and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) Treatment Study (PART)
In this study, the investigators will examine the efficacy of (1) navigated excitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (nerTMS) and (2) a combination of nerTMS and constraint-induced aphasia therapy (CIAT) as post-stroke aphasia rehabilitation methods. The investigators expect that these new types of rehabilitation, either nerTMS alone or in combination with CIAT, will help patients with aphasia return to their lives as they were prior to the stroke.